Chapter 12

Multiplexing

Objectives (1 of 3)

Describe a typical truck data bus.

List the key data bus hardware components.
Define the word multiplexing.
Describe how multiplexing can make data
exchange more efficient.
Outline how a J1939/CAN 2.0 data bus
functions.

Objectives (2 of 3)
Access J1587/1708 and J1939 data buses
using an ATA data connector.
Explain how a smart ladder switch
operates.
List the seven essential fields that make up a
data frame on a truck data bus transaction.

Objectives (3 of 3)
Explain how FETs are used as relays to
effect data bus outcomes.
Access a message identifier on a truck
chassis data bus with multiple networked
electronic systems.
Outline the procedure required to access a
failure mode indicator (FMI) using electronic
service tools.

Multiplexing (1 of 3)
Data bus communications make use of a
technology called multiplexing.
Multiplexing means data-sharing between
multiple system control modules.
Today, technicians regularly access the truck
data bus to troubleshoot, reprogram, and
read the systems within it.

Multiplexing (2 of 3)
Common language: giving electronic subsystems a
common communication language
Information highway: Using a data bus allows data
signals to take the place of hard wire.
New trucks network all of the electronic controllers
in a chassis in a way that:

Simplifies the hardware

Eliminates miles of hard wiring
Reduces the number of I/O (in-out) pins on modules
Optimizes vehicle operation

Multiplexing (3 of 3)
So what do you really have to know about
multiplexing today?
If you have ever used a 6-pin or 9-pin ATA
connector to connect a diagnostic reader or
shop computer to read the electronic systems
on a truck, you already have some experience
in accessing a truck data bus.

Multiplexing, Clients, and Servers

Client: Anyone or anything that wants
something is referred to as a client.
Server: The fulfillment of a client need is
provided by a server.
Data backbone: It serves as a path for
connecting clients with servers.
Packets: The messages are known as
packets.

Multiplexing
Bandwidth
The speed limit in telecommunications is
measured in baud and K-baud.

Protocols
They are rules and regulations to simplify
electronic transactions.

Analog inputs are converted to digital signals

by the receiving processor.

Power Line Carrier

A more primitive method of multiplexing
known as power line carrier has been in use
in trucks since 1985.
Because all the wires on a standard SAE
J560, 7-pin connector between truck and
trailer were already dedicated, power line
carrier technology was used to convert a
communication signal to a radio frequency
signal and then superimpose it over the
12-volt auxiliary power wire.

Serial Data Transmission

Controller area network (CAN)
A data bus system developed by Robert Bosch and
Intel for vehicle applications.
A serial data transmission network used for the
following applications in a vehicle:
Electronic control module (ECM) networking
Comfort and convenience electronics
Mobile on-board and external communications

CAN 2.0 is the basis for SAE J1939

J1939 is about 25 times faster than J1587/1708.

Multiplexing

Bus Topology
The word topology means an organized
structural system that remains unaffected
when subjected to a sequence of events.
The term bus topology is used in multiplexing
to indicate that no single controller networked
to the bus has more priority or status than
another:
No ECM/ECU is in charge.

CAN Message Format

Message Bit Encoding of a Data Packet

Message Bit Encoding

How a freightliner data packet is sequenced
and the number of bits dedicated to each
segment
Remember that there are 8 bits to a byte.

Shop Talk
CAN H (high) and CAN L (low) on a
J1939 are not referenced to ground but to
each other.
CAN H and CAN L are referred to by some
OEMs as CAN+ and CAN-.

Reasons for Twisting Data Wires

Provide immunity to magnetic fields
Provide consistent capacitance values

Comparison of Scope Patterns

Shop Talk
When repairing low-bus, twisted wires, avoid
twisting the wires together prior to soldering.
Lay the wires you wish to solder so they
contact each other, then apply tin solder.
Twisting the wires together and applying a
large blob of solder can create unacceptably
high circuit resistance.

Data Bus Repairs

Physical damage to any data bus described
as high bus (shielded) warrants replacement,
not repair.
High bus lines are shielded.
A J1939 high bus consists of:
The twisted-wire pair (communication wires)
A shield wire
Often a couple of filler wires that function to
keep the communication wires separate

Shop Talk
When troubleshooting, if you disconnect a
smart switch, a code will be logged
immediately.
Always use the system self-diagnostics to
locate problems.

FET Operation

Shop Talk
When adding loads to a multiplexed truck
chassis, always consult the OEM service
literature.
Splicing into circuits can cause electrical
problems that become very difficult to
troubleshoot.

Caution
Never splice into existing fuses in chassis power
distribution modules to source a battery voltage
requirement.
In dealerships today, it is not uncommon to hear
horror stories that result when a truck driver splices
into a hot wire to power up his CB radio.
Most OEMs provide non-dedicated terminals in their
power distribution module that can be used for
auxiliary electrical requirements such as CBs.
Use the OEM literature and wiring schematics when
connecting auxiliary electrical equipment.

Summary (1 of 4)
Multiplexing means the ability of electronic
components to exchange information by means of a
common data bus.
Multiplexing can eliminate miles of chassis harness
wiring and duplication of hardware devices such as
throttle position sensors by giving electronic
subsystems a common communication language,
and by using a data bus or information highway
which allows data signals to take the place of hard
wire in the electronic input and output circuits.

Summary (2 of 4)
The data bus acts as the information
highway in a multiplexed electronic truck
chassis.
A smart ladder switch contains a ladder
of resistors.
The processor that receives a signal from
the switch can interpret switch status data
by comparing ladder resistances with a
programmed library of resistance values
that identify the switch, its status, and
circuit integrity.

Summary (3 of 4)
The fields that usually make up a data frame on a
truck data bus transaction are start of frame field,
arbitration field, control field, data field, cyclic
redundancy check field, ack field, and end of frame
field.
Access to a truck data bus is obtained by using one
of two types of ATA connectors.
A 6-pin Deutsch connector is used to access the
J1587/ 1708 data bus and a 9-pin Deutsch connector
can be used to access either the J1939 data bus or
the J1587/1708 data bus.

Summary (4 of 4)
Current trucks equipped with a J1939 data
backbone are also fitted with a J1587/1708
bus.
When accessing a specific ECM/ECM on a
truck data bus with multiple electronic
systems, you must first select the correct
message identifier (MID) if using genericreader software (such as ProLink).